Cables Show Hillary Clinton's State Department Deeply Involved in Trans-Pacific Partnership

[Triana]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by LostOne4Ever (a host of the General Discussion forum).

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Thursday attempted to distance herself from the controversial 12-nation trade deal known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership. During her tenure as U.S. secretary of state, Clinton publicly promoted the pact 45 separate times -- but with her Democratic presidential rivals making opposition to the deal a centerpiece of their campaigns, Clinton now asserts she was never involved in the initiative.

"I did not work on TPP," she said after a meeting with leaders of labor unions who oppose the pact. "I advocated for a multinational trade agreement that would 'be the gold standard.' But that was the responsibility of the United States Trade Representative."

But at a congressional hearing in 2011, Clinton told lawmakers that "with respect to the TPP, although the State Department does not have the lead on this -- it is the United States Trade Representative -- we work closely with the USTR." Additionally, State Department cables reviewed by International Business Times show that her agency -- including her top aides -- were deeply involved in the diplomatic deliberations over the trade deal. The cables from 2009 and 2010, which were among a trove of documents disclosed by the website WikiLeaks, also show that the Clinton-run State Department advised the U.S. Trade Representative’s office on how to negotiate the deal with foreign government officials.

In recent months, labor, environmental, public health and consumer advocacy groups have campaigned against the TPP, saying the pact is a stealth attempt by corporations to tilt the rules of international commerce in their favor. They have specifically criticized provisions in the deal -- which are secret but have periodically leaked -- that they say would empower corporations to use international tribunals to attempt to overturn public interest laws. The groups represent many core Democratic Party constituencies that Clinton has been courting in her White House bid, which explains why in the lead-up to the party's primary she has suddenly depicted herself as a critic of the deal. But the cables show that the Clinton-run State Department was indeed a major player in pushing the initiative.

THE REST:

http://www.ibtimes.com/cables-show-hillary-clintons-state-department-deeply-involved-trans-pacific-2032948

[chillfactor]

1. 2 more days....2 more days....

and your nonsense will be blocked..this site supports the nominee.....PERIOD!

[dflprincess]

4. So it will be "my nominee, right or wrong"

No discussions of issues, no honest questions about what positions she holds? Just one big pep fest?

[ConservativeDemocrat]

35. Yup, no more lying, smearing, derp about Democrats

All the non-Democrats who want to shit on the party will just have to go troll somewhere else.

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

37. Guess not.

[Triana]

5. Blocking facts doesn't change them.

[yodermon]

9. DU will not become the Hillary group writ large, however.

Legitimate criticism will still be allowed, although I expect there will be some, ah, "price discovery" as to what is and isn't legitimate.

[Cassiopeia]

12. Two more days may change DU, but it won't change the facts.

[FailureToCommunicate]

14. "this site supports the nominee.....PERIOD!" So, facts be damned is your plan?

[bjo59]

18. Wow. I've never supported any nominee that I wanted to censor the truth about.

I would have assumed that people who support Hillary Clinton also support the TPP.

[Dustlawyer]

36. This site, at least until after November becomes an ECHO,Echo echo, CHAMBER, Chamber, chamber!

[chapdrum]

20. And then the country will be safe

for the complete corporate takeover of governance and jurisprudence.

It's all there in the TPP.

More wars, more corporate domination - yep, Hil's got it covered.

[chapdrum]

22. Why that's just darn convenient.

Just like ignoring unflattering facts is.

[Scootaloo]

27. Actually Skinner will be allowing news pertaining to Clinton, even if it's bad news

If you want a churchlike atmosphere of endless praise and singing to the chorus, well, don't get your hopes up for it happening here.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

38. Not sure about that.

[lapucelle]

2. Wasn't it the job of the State Department to promolgate the policies of the President?

If this was such a problem, why wasn't President Obama more strongly challenged on it when he ran for re-election? Where were the critics in 2012?

[Triana]

7. Americans barely knew/know what TPP IS because it had been kept secret for so long.

Media still refuses to cover it. Even most of congress wasn't allowed to see it.

Were were the critics? Distracted and lied to by omission, that's where. Duh.

That Obama is pushing this hideous thing (you support it as long as it's Hillary pushing it I presume) is one of the things he's done that most disappoints me. Clinton shoving NAFTA through was one of the things that most disappointed me about him.

For God's sake don't trip over yourself defending TPP because it's HER.

Seriously?

[Cassiopeia]

13. If it's not a problem why did Hillary run away from these facts during the primary?

[dynamo99]

17. It was her job

I don't much like Hillary, but at the time her job was to push whatever policy the administration said to push. To resist that would have required her to quit.

I suspect she liked the TPP (and may still like it.. it's certainly in line with other recent Dem admistrations), though even if she didn't, she wasn't going to quit and likely destroy her political future. But it was certainly "doing her job".

[2naSalit]

19. It is precisely the job of

the Secretary of State to promote the agenda of their president regardless of personal views on any topic. You do what your boss wants you to do, that's the job. I work for a government agency and it is my job to do the job I was hired to do without inserting my personal views, opinions or agenda during the course of doing my job... it's also part of the oath of office that we all swear to upon entry on duty.

I see that those who are desperate to make some ugly rumors stick to the candidate chosen by the majority of the voting public make use of the possibility that many people won't recognize this fact of doing one's job.

[Scootaloo]

29. Question

How is it all of her positives as SoS are hers, but all her negatives as SoS are Obama's?

[2naSalit]

30. Perspective of

the interpreter.

[Scootaloo]

32. Doesn't answer my question

Why does Clinton get to claim credit for her achievements as SoS, but all the bad things are "well she had to do what obama told her to"?

[2naSalit]

33. Sure it does......nt

[Scootaloo]

34. No, it really doesn't.

Pretend this isn't twitter, and that you can express your thoughts and reasoning in unlimited characters.

How is it Hilalry Clinton gets the credit for positives from the State Department, and Obama gets the blame for the negatives from the State Department?

[Midnight Writer]

31. Exactly. Why wouldn't the State Department be involved in international trade negotiations?

[cheapdate]

3. Uh...okay.

[Doctor_J]

6. yeah, her opposition to it was 100% bullshit

but no one believed it, so probably doesn't matter much.

[Triana]

8. Her supporters are like Trump's in one way...

...her supporters don't care what she says, does or supports. They don't care what her record is or where her money comes from. Like Trump, there isn't anything she could support or do (or fail to support or do) or any money she could take from anywhere that would turn them away from her.

It's fascinating to watch. It's dreadful to contemplate once stuff like TPP is shoved through by her (Obama is on the way out so it'll be handed over to her - in fact his State Dept. blocked emails which show her support for it until after the election). IntereSTINK eh?

[Broward]

10. Thank you for posting although the sycophants will object.

[Triana]

11. Backlash Against TPP Grows as Leaked Text Reveals Increased Corp Control of Public Health (2015)

As the Obama administration praises the benefits of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), backlash continues to grow against the deal. WikiLeaks has just published another section of the secret text — this one about public healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry. Newly revealed details of the draft show the TPP would give major pharmaceutical companies more power over public access to medicine and weaken public healthcare programs. The leaked draft also suggests the TPP would prevent Congress from passing reforms to lower drug costs. One of the practices that would be allowed is known as "evergreening." It lets drug companies extend the life of a patent by slightly modifying their product and then getting a new patent. We speak to Peter Maybarduk of Public Citizen and John Sifton of Human Rights Watch about their concerns.

THE REST: http://www.democracynow.org/2015/6/11/backlash_against_tpp_grows_as_leaked

I hate this thing if Hillary supports it. I hate this thing if Obama supports it. I hate this thing if Bernie supports it (he doesn't and won't). I hate this thing no matter who supports it.

[fleabiscuit]

15. WOW!

Water is found to be wet! What a non freaking story.

[PufPuf23]

16. Time to get Hillary Clinton and the Democratic party attentive of opposition to TPP

by many, if not most, Democratic party voters.

[Ford_Prefect]

21. Weren't quite a few of the TPP authors also affiliated with the Clinton Foundation?

I seem to recall that a number of them were significant contributors, as were many of the Fracking advocates. I guess we're supposed get the Government "they" paid for.

Or is this a different version of "eveyrone else's money"?

[chapdrum]

23. They named it the "Clinton Global Initiative."

That sounds more lofty and noble.

[Recursion]

24. Wait... are you saying the USTR's boss was *involved in his job*???

My God...

[mountain grammy]

25. As Stephanie Miller would say..

Now a warning! But really, is this a surprise? She supports it and we all know it. The President supports it too. That's why we can't stop pushing back. We must stop this corporate world domination. We the people can do it.

[Ford_Prefect]

28. Well only for the next 2 days, it seems. After that we will only look forward...

[SunSeeker]

39. Stephanie Miller supports Hillary. nt

[LostOne4Ever]

40. LOCKING THREAD AS SOP VIOLATION

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